Thursday, February 11, 2010

Slow Progress

I've had a hard time getting motivated this week. I suspect it's due to the suspense of waiting for the twins to arrive and then monitoring their progress. Now that things seem to be on an even keel for them (they're gaining weight nicely) we can all breathe a sigh of relief. In my case, for several days apparently!

I did get the 4" blocks sewn together into a panel or medallion. Then I framed it up to 18" by adding a one inch strip all the way around. Now I'm playing with the 6" blocks to see how I want to use them around the medallion.

Meh. I'm still not particularly inspired. I'll probably keep making 6" blocks, maybe as leaders and enders, and see how this develops. It's not like there's a deadline for it or anything. But I do have a quilt with a deadline coming up. I have committed to making a birthday quilt for a little girl who is going to be 4 in May. She has requested puppies and/or kitties in her quilt. No problem! All I have to do is decide on the type of quilt I want to make for her. It will be something quick and simple, that much is certain.

A few days ago I pulled fabric and a few beads for my official February Bead Journal Project ornament. Last night I assembled the foundation and played around with ways to arrange the beads I had selected. My goal is to memorialize the big event of my month, the birth of the two new granddaughters. I had tiny pewter heart beads to represent the granddaughters but they seemed lost on the big ole diamond. Then I found a button in my stash that made the whole concept come together: my daughter and all four of her daughters.

I cut the shank off the button so it would lay flatter against the foundation. My challenge now is to figure out how to secure it without obscuring it or making it look clunky. Normally I would just use my gray beading thread to stitch it in place but in this case that would show. I may end up holding it down with a few stitches and then beading over it to cover the threads. The question is what color beads to use. When I was planning this piece in my head I didn't think beyond pink for the background. Guess I'll just have to rummage around in my beads some more and see what feels good!

5 comments:

  1. Lovely & Congrats (Gma). That is a beautiful button. How about instead of sewing it down using gray thread sewing it down with the beads themselves. Come up out of the fabric, put on enough beads to "bridge" over the thinner parts of the button. Whala...two birds with one stone. And you could always fill up the portion of the fabric showing with tiny size 15s using a moss stitch.
    dot

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  2. Those beads and button are perfect on your pink fabric. Nice choice.

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  3. Yes!!! You did find the perfect button to make fit and tie together the scale of the hearts to the size of the ornament! Yay!!! If you attach the button with beads as Dot suggests, I'd recommend couching it on first with thread and then sewing a line of beads to cover the thread. Often with things like this, I just let the couching thread show. Anyhow, you're off to a great start!

    Robin A.

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  4. I'd also try it first with just the thread...it won't take a lot of thread and I'd bet it barely registers when you're done. (Look at the bunny on my feb. bjp...I couched it down and don't think the thread really registers?)

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  5. Or, use a great color of thread and just incorporate that as part of the design. Four daughters...my, my, my...and I think of all the blessings my only daughter has brought me over the years...the next 20 years or so should be very interesting indeed!!!

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